As the world becomes more reliant on technology, it leaves unwanted opportunities for your personal information and other important digital items to become compromised. There are plenty of different ways for you to protect your data, but one startup thinks that storing the information in DNA is a better solution.
Vishaal Bhuyan, who is the CEO and co-founder of Carverr, explores the idea of storing sensitive information inside of DNA. Carverr specializes in storing cryptocurrency like bitcoin, transforming the digital information and making it a biological product. This means that your data is removed from the internet, and placed in a physical vessel, safely stored as a strand of DNA. The company states that this method is better than something like a cold storage wallet, as servers could at some point become obsolete.
The way it works is that you send your passcode or private key through an encrypted and secured means, then Carverr will take that information, and convert it into a "string of bases consisting of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs" which is what makes up a string of DNA. Then, using a "special" algorithm, Carverr will manufacturer a synthetic strand of DNA with the information and then ship the DNA back to you. You can choose to have Carverr store the data or you can do so by putting it in the freezer. Currently, it is working on a version that can be stored in a standard environment.
If you need the data retrieved, you simple send the tube back to Carverr or if they are storing it for you, you can request your data. The firm states that it can take up 72 hours for retrieval once they are in possession of the tube. This is certainly an interesting way of keeping information safe, but it isn't cheap, as Carverr currently charges $1,000 for its service.
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